Pumping apparatus



Feb. 9 1926.

' J. W. TAYLOR PUMPING APPARATUS Filed March 16, 1925 .5 0l 0070.6 2 3 7 #l 7 1 1111 1 1 4, 6 1/ .d 3

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Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JAMES W. TAYLOR, F SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

PUMPING APPARATUS.

Application tiled March 16, 1925. Serial No. 15,761.

T o all lwhom t may conce/rn Be it known that I, JAMES W. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pumping'Apparatua of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved flowing or-pumping apparatus for removing liquidsfrom oil wells, the object of the invention, generally stated, is the provision .of apparatus of this character which, when inserted within a well, will serve to force the liquid in the well to the surface by means of the expansive power of the natural gas generated or contained within the well.

In accordance with the invention there 1s provided a pumping apparatus for the purpose set forth consisting broadly of a well casing in which is positioned the centrally disposed flow line or tubing. This tubing carries, at a position near the lower part of the well, a How hood in which the natural gas of thev well is trapped, there being an entry between the hood and the How line by means of which the trapped expansible fluid is permitted to enter the flow line to effect the elevation of the liquid therein. The entry is provided with an associated valve mechanism for controlling fluid flow therethrough, and the particular feature of the present invention resides in the provision of automatically operating means for controlling the operation of the valve mechanism, wherein the arrangement is such that when the fluid pressure within the casing reaches a predetermined pressure, the valve mechanism will be open to permit the expelling fluid to enter the flow line and expand, and when the gas pressure in the `casing-1s reduced to a predetermined pressure,the valve mechanism will be operated to' close the entry and to arrest further liquid How through the flow line or tubing until the gas pressure has been, againbuilt. up to a -point permittingfof the i opening .of the valve c mechanism. l f

-lYith these and other objects inkview, las will vappearas ythe description `proceeds, ythe invention consists inthe novehfeatures of construction, combinations lof elements and arrangements of `parts.hereinafterto fully described andy pointed out'. in the" appended claiinsa In the ,accompanyingidrawing:g

f Figurelis: a, verticalcross-sectional viewv taken through the pumping apparatus situated at the upper end of a well casing,

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the well casing, the tubing and flow hood, and showing the valve mechanism employed in controlling gas flow into the tubing.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a standard form of well easing which is adapted to be inserted into a drilled wellppening and to extend from the surface of the well to the oil producing sands. Within the casing extending axially and longitudinally therethrough is a flow line or tubing 2 having a perforated lower end 3 which rests upon the bottom plug 4 provided in a well screen 5, the lower end of the screen 5 resting upon the bottom of the well. By this it will be seen that a standard construction is provided, although other forms may be used, in which oil will be permitted to enter the flow line and to arise therein, as well as in the casing, by the natural pressure or flow of the oil or liquid, and that the height which the oil will reach in the flow line and the casing will vary in accordance with the natural pressures existing in each well.

Applied to the upper end of the casing 1 is a casing head 6, through which the up-per end of the How line extends and in which the flow line is suitably sealed, as will be hereinafter described, to confine within the casing the natural gases of the well for the purpose of employing these gases' in the expelling of the-liquid. 1

Thepflow line 2 in this instanceincludes relatively movable upper and lower sections 7 and `8 respectively. The upper section is provided at its lower end with a threaded vcoupling 9, which supports a nozzle 10, `constructed to `restrictthe diamter ofthe How line to facilitate the liquid?s expulsion.l The lower end of thel nozzle .isthreaded to `refceive the cap section 11- of aow'hooddesignatedy general-ly by` thenumeral .12. f, l

The hoodfconsi'sts of af cylindrical casing lower` end. asindicated the ynumeral f 14, ,.'lrhe` diameteroftlie casing l'is slightlydess '$13,- closed at its uppercend and openzatits circulated laround the lioodaand finto `tlie upper partfof thecasingl above the flow A hood.- The-.casing 13,-niay be offa'nyf suitable -length and 1 formed f sectionally, vas shown. in AFigline. Q, the fsections;.thei'eof being. united by one or more internal couplings 15. It will be seen that by this construction the natural gas delivered from the well will accumulate in part in the upper closed end of the hood and will be prevented from expanding while retained within the hood, by reason of the fluid pressure contained within the casing 1 above the hood.

In order to admit the gas into the flow line to expel the liquid therein, there is provided a valve mechanism which in this instance consists of a sleeve 16, provided with an annular enlargement 17 having rounded upper and lower shoulders 18 and 19. These shoulders are adapted for engagement with beveled upper and lower seats 20 and 21 re spectively, the former of which being provided at the lower end of the cap section 11, while the latter is provided internally within a tube 22 threadily connected with the cap section 11 at 23. The lower end of the tube 22 has an opening provided therein for the sliding reception of the sleeve 16, and said opening possesses a greater diameter than the external diameter of said sleeve at this point so as'to permit of fluid passage through the interior of said tube. The open end of the sleeve 16 is provided with a plurality'of passages or entries 24, and it will be seen that when the enlargement 17 1s positioned mid-way in the length of the tube 22, or in other words, when the shoulders 18 and 19 are spaced from the seats 20 and 21, fluid will be permitted to flow from beneath the hood, through the tube 22 and thence by way of the passages 24 into the liquid con tained within the liow line.

It will be understood that the fluid pressures within the iiow line and within the casin 1 or the hood 12 are substantially equalized or balanced adjacent the passages 24, so that a slight excess of pressure in the casing 1 or within the flow hood 12 willbe sufficient to force or permit the expelling gas to enter the flow line against the resistance offered by the hydro-static head of the y column rof liquid in the flow line.

Since the gas is maintained in its normal compressed state within the hood by the Huid pressure above the same, it follows Ythat when this gas enters' the flow line, that the liquid pressure in the latter prevents immediate expansion of the gas. In other words, the as will enter the ow line in small bubbles which by virtue of their natural buoyancy will arise vertically through the liquid in the iow line and will expand so as to become gradually enlarged as the bubbles ascend the iiow line. yThis expansion, of course, becomes greater when lthe hydrostatic pressure thereon is gradually diminished by the rise `thereof in the column of liquid, since -as the bubbles near the top of the flow line the liquid pressure becomes correspondingly smaller. The bubbles are then permitted to expand to their maximum point wherein they substantially lill the tubing and therefore serve in the capacity of pneumatic pistons for expelling the liquid at the top of the flow line. The bubbles follow one another in very rapid succession at accelerated speed of travel and consequently Acan expel a large volume of liquid from the tubing.

Since the apparatus described relies upon the natural gas pressure in the well to expel the liquid, it follows that in most Wells this pressure can not be generated sufficiently to provide for a continuous iowing of the well, and therefore it is necessary to provide for an intermittent opening and closing o the valve mechanism so that the pressure of the gas may be built up and released in heads or impulses for the purpose of eX- pelling the fluid. It is a primary object of the present invention to automatically regulate the opening and closing of the valve mechanism, in contrast to the manually operated structure, disclosed in my copending application led March 16, 1925 Serial Num- -ber 15,760. Since the lower section 8 of the tubing rests upon the bottom of the well, I provide a structure by means of whicht-he upper section of the flow line together with the hood may be raised and lowered at intervals so as to cover and uncover the ports or passages 24.

The structure for accomplishing this object is disclosed in Figure 1 and consists of a cylinder 25 formed with the casing head 1 6. Mounted within the cylinder is a piston which consists of a base section 26 and a top section 27, the base section having its periphery provided with an annular shoulder adapted for the reception of a packing ring 28, while thel top section is provided with a depending annular iange 29 arranged to engage with the upper surface of the ring 28. The base section is provided with a plurality of upstanding stud bolts 30 upon the 1 upper ends of which are threaded binding devices for they purpose of forcing the top section downwardly and expanding the ring 28 into firm sealing engagement with the inner wall of the cylinder 25. The base secl tion 26 is also provided adjacent the axial portion thereof with a shoulder 31, upon which seats a packing ring 32, which engages withthe outer surface of the flow line 2. Threadedly carried by the base section 1 of the piston 1s an upstanding tube 33 having its upper end projected through the sect-ionalcover 34. of the cylinder and providedy with a seat upon which rests a'thrust bearinO 35. The flow line at this point is pro- 1 vided with raised threads 36 adapted for the reception of the threaded hub of an adjusting wheel 37, which is employed to limit the downward movement of the upper section 7 of the flow line and thereby controls l lll navegas the extent of the opening and closing movement of the valve mechanism. The flow line, beneath the packing 32 is provided with a fixed collar 38 upon which rests a gasket 39, the latter being arranged to open and close zit-passage d() leading from the top of the casing l into the under part of the cylinder 25.

The casing head 6 carries an upstanding frame 41. formed et joined pipe sections and fittings which comprise a support for the upper part of the flow line above the cylinder 25. This frame also includes a conduit 42 controlled by a valve 43 by means of which gas pressure in the casing may be relieved when desired. The upper end of the frame Ll1 includes a guide 4d in which the flow line is slidably received. This guide Vat its lower end is provided with a packing 45' preventing the escapeof the fluid from the upper part of the flow` line. Above the packing l5 is provided a stationary outlet conduit 46 which leads the liquid from the well to a suitable point of discharge.

In operation, it will be seen that, after the casing has been inserted in the well, the flou line is dropped vertically until its lower end rests upon a stationary abutment,'in this instance thev screen 5. As the flow line is being lowered the shoulder 19 will engage with the seat 2l so as to close the upperend of the chamber 47 formed under the hood 12, so that the gas which accumulates within the hood will be trapped and reserved for subsequent use. When the flow line has been finally positioned within the casing the natural fluid pressure in the well is permitted to build u in the casing 1 and in the chamber 47, this being accomplished by the sealing of the open end of the casing. When this fluid pressure reaches a. predetermined point necessary to edect the flowing of the well, it will be seen that the pressure exercised on the underside of the piston in the cylinder 25, will be sufficient to effect the elevation of said piston, which in turn by reason of its -connection with the flow line, raises the upper section 7 of said flow line so as to uncover the ports 24. This a1- lows the gas in the chamber 47, which has been maintained under pressure, to fiow through said ports, as previously described, into the fiow'line and effect the elevation of liquid. As the gas is displaced in the hood, it follows that there is a receding in level of the liquid in the casing above the hood, which results in the expansion of the gas in the upper part of the casing l, thus reducing the pressure onl the piston in the cylinder 25 so that'the latter will return to a lowered positiony and thereby dropping the flow line to close the valve mechanism as shown in Figure 2. The closing of the valve mechanism arrests furtherfluid How into the tubing 2, and permits the well to again build up suihcient pressure to eect the raising of the piston.

By controlling the friction which the ring 28 exercises on the inner wall of the cylinder 25, the operation of said piston, in respond` ing to the fluctuating gas pressures, may be controlled so that there will be an appreciable interval wherein the gas is permitted to enter the tubing from the flow hood and another appreciable interval wherein gas flow is prevented. rlhis will result in the production of the gas-heads used in flowing the well intermittently and insures complete opening and closin on the part of the valve It will thus be seen that the present invention provides means for flow-- mechanism.

ing a well by the natural gas pressure of said well, and that the operation thereof is rendered entirely automatic and manual control and supervision reduced to a minimum. This feature is particularly imporf tant in large oil fields and in the flowing of small capacity wells wherein it is not practicable or economical to have constant manual supervision.

` Wvhat is claimed is:

1. In oil well pumping apparatus, a casing, a flow line in said casing, a hood surrounding said flow line open at its lower end and normally closed at its upper end, a valve mechanism establishing communication between the closed portion of said hood and said flow line, and means operated automatically by natural gas pressure stored within said casing for effecting the operation of said valve mechanism.`

2. In pumping apparatus, a well casing, a flow line in said casing, a hood in said casing surrounding said flow line, said hood being provided with a substantially opened lower end and closed upper end providing a chamber between the walls of' said hood and flow line for the trapping of gas arising within thegwell, a valve mechanism for governing fluid flow between said chamber and flow line, a. closed reservoir in the casing above said hood, and means operable by the expansion and contraction of the fluid in said reservoir to open and close said valve mechanism.

3. In pumping apparatus, a well casing, a flow line extending through said casing, a hood in said casing and surrounding said flow line at a suitable point of its length, said hood serving to trap therein the natural gas arising in said well, a valve mechanism to permit said gas to enter the flow line to expel the liquid therein, a closed head provided upon the upper end of said 'casing and a pressure operated device reF sponsive to fluctuating pressures in said head to operate said valve mechanism.

4. In pumping apparatus, a well casin a tubing extending through said casing, a ow head carried by said tubing and serving to lic viso

trap therein natural gas rising in the well, valve mechanism for governing the flow of gas from said hood into said tubing, a head provided on the upper end of said casing, a piston mounted within said head and responsive to fluid pressures therein, and operating devices between said piston and said valve mechanism for controlling the operating positions of the latter.

5. In pumping apparatus, a well casing, a tubing extending through said' casing, a flow hood, valve mechanism between said flow hood and tubing, a cylinder in communication with the upper endot` said casing, a. piston in said cylinder, and connections between said piston and tubing, said tubing serving upon movement on the part thereof in unison with said piston to regulate the opening and closing of the valve mechanism.

6. In pumping apparatus. a. well easing, a tubing positioned Within said easing and including relatively movable upper and lower sections, a flow hood surrounding said tubing, valve mechanism at the junction of said tubing sections for 'governing fluid flow from said hood into said tubing, a head provided at the upper end of said casing, a piston in said head adapted to be raised and lowered by fluctuating fluid pressures in said casing, and connecting means between said anism situated at the point of'junction ofl the upper and lower sections of said tubing and serving to control fluid flow between said hood and said tubing, a head arranged to seal the upper end of said casing, a piston working in a cylinder rovided in said head and adapted to be raised and lowered by varying fluid pressures in the casing above said hood, means connecting the upper section of said tubing with said piston, whereby upon movement of the latter said upper section of the tubing will be operated to open and close said valve mechanism, and means for controlling the extent of movement of the upper section of said tubing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES W. TAYLOR. 

